102 THE DIVIDING LINE. 



line for an age or two, especially considering that, two or three days before 

 the date of their protest, Mr. Mayo had entered with them for two thousand 

 acres of land, within five miles of the place where they left off. Besides, if 

 we reflect on the richness of the soil in those parts, and the convenience for 

 stock, we may foretell, without the spirit of divination, that there will be 

 many settlements higher than those gentlemen went, in less than ten years, 

 and perhaps in half that time. 



Another reason mentioned in the protest for their retiring so soon from the 

 service is, that their going farther would be a needless charge and trouble. 

 And they allege that the rest may be done by one surveyor on a side, in an 

 easy manner, whenever it shall be thought necessary. 



To this we answer, that frugality for the public is a rare virtue, but when 

 the public service must suffer by it, it degenerates into a vice. And this will 

 ever be the case when gentlemen execute the orders of their superiors by 

 halves. But had the Carolina commissioners been sincerely frugal for their 

 government, wiiy did they carry out provisions sufficient to support them 

 and their men for ten weeks, when they intended not to tarry half that 

 time 1 This they must own to be true, since they brought one thousand 

 pounds of provisions along with them. Now, after so great an expense in 

 their preparations, it had been no mighty addition to their charge, had they 

 endured the fatigue five or six weeks longer. It would at most have been 

 no more than they must be at, whenever they finish their work, even though 

 they should fancy it proper to trust a matter of that consequence to the 

 management of one surveyor. Such a one must have a number of men 

 along with him, both for his assistance and defence, and those men must 

 have provisions to support them. 



These are all the reasons these gentlemen think fit to mention in their 

 protest, though they had in truth a more powerful argument for retiring so 

 abruptly, which, because they forgot, it will be neighbourly to help them out. 

 The provisions they intended to bring along with them, for want of horses 

 to carry them, were partly dropped by the way, and what they could bring 

 was husbanded so ill, that after eighteen days, (which was the whole time 

 we had them in our company,) they had no more left, by their own confes- 

 sion, than two pounds of biscuit for each man, to carry them home. How- 

 ever, though this was an unanswerable reason for gentlemen for leaving the 

 business unfinished, it was none at all for us, who had at that time bread 

 sufficient for seven weeks longer. Therefore, lest their want of manage- 

 ment might put a stop to his majesty's service, and frustrate his royal inten- 

 tions, we judged it our duty to proceed without them, and have extended 

 the dividing line so far west as to leave the great mountains on each hand 

 to the eastwai'd of us. And this we have done with the same fidelity and 

 exactness as if the gentlemen had continued with us. Our surveyors 

 (whose integrity I am persuaded they will not call in question) continued to 

 act under the same oath, which they had done from the beginning. Yet, not- 

 withstanding all this, if the government of North Carolina should not hold 

 itself bound by that part of the line which we made without the assistance 

 of its commissioners, yet we shall have this benefit in it at least, that his ma- 

 jesty will know how far his lands reach towards the south, and consequently 

 where his subjects may take it up, and how far they may be granted without 

 injustice to the lords proprietors. To this we may also add, that having 

 the authority of our commission, to act without the commissioners of 

 Carolina, in case of their disagreement or refusal, we thought ourselves bound 

 upon their retreat to finish the line without them, lest his majesty's service 

 iuiglit suffer by any honour or neglect on their part. 



William Danuridgi;. ^ 

 William Bvrd. 



